COPENHAGEN - Four top Danish companies have joined a Chinese-Danish partnership scheme aimed at attracting Chinese students and professionals to work in Denmark, the Danish foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

The Sino-Danish Network, launched in September last year, now includes Novo Nordisk, Vestas Wind Systems, Haldor Topsoee, and NNE Pharmaplan. The new additions mean that 10 of the largest Danish companies currently represented in China, are part of the network.

"Though large companies like Vestas and Novo Nordisk are quite known in China, they still experience the branding towards potential new employees to be a difficult task in the competition with other foreign and Chinese companies," said Lars Christensen, technology and research attache at the Innovation Center Denmark in Shanghai, which is responsible for the Sino-Danish Network initiative.

Wind-turbine manufacturer Vestas and pharmaceuticals major Novo Nordisk are global multi-nationals headquartered in Denmark. Their shares are among those most traded on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange.

Haldor Topsoee produces catalyst technologies, while NNE Pharmaplan is a pharmacy and biotech company.

Though the Sino-Danish Network, the four companies can attract the best Chinese talent though online portals, social media platforms and top Chinese universities.

"The Sino-Danish Network is an open platform for Danish companies, and we hope that many more companies will come on board in the near future making the network stronger and encompassing in China," Christensen said.